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"For us, at the time, it explained why he was feeling so unwell. He was hugely respectful of the patient/doctor relationship and as he was the patient in this instance - he entrusted himself to the care and expertise of his colleagues.

"Finding Mark’s body and carrying out CPR was extremely traumatic. Words are inadequate to describe how devastating this was, compounded with then having to break the news to my boys that their father had died.

"All our family can hope for now is that Mark’s death was not totally in vain and that the hospital trust learns from this to improve patient care.”

An inquest was held into Mr Howard's death on Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8 and found that had his condition been diagnosed and treated, he would have more than likely survived.

Tania Harrison, specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office, which is representing the family, said after the hearing: “Michaela and the rest of the family have been left devastated by Mark’s sudden death and had a number of concerns about the care he received in the days before he died.

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"Sadly, the inquest has validated those concerns. The family believe that Mark was seriously let down and that much more could have been done to diagnose his condition, and more than likely prevent his death.

"However, Mark was a great advocate of the NHS, so the last thing Michaela and the family want is for there to be a loss of confidence in health services. People still need to seek medical help where appropriate.

"Michaela and her boys just hope that lessons are learned to ensure that no one else faces the failings that led to Mark’s death, and that no family has to go through the same intense degree of pain that they have experienced."